Explanation:
NGC 1300 is a large
spiral galaxy
that appears as a flattened figure eight.
A huge bar that spans over 150,000
light-years across the galaxy center dominates its appearance.
The
picturesque galaxy lies about 75 million light-years distant,
so that light that we see now left during the age of the
dinosaurs.
Although it is well known how fast different parts of
NGC 1300 rotate, the specific orbits of many component stars --
including how they interact with the gigantic bar --
remains a topic of
research.
Our own
Milky Way Galaxy is a spiral
galaxy with a less prominent bar.
NGC 1300 can be seen with a small telescope towards the constellation of
Eridanus.